Thought processes and conversations started under the tilted cap of Tropicana Field. Someday everyone will know the Rays play in St. Petersburg, Florida, not TAMPA, or the fictitious city of TAMPA BAY.

Sometimes Commenting Has its Own Price

The funny thing about baseball is, we all think we have answers, have professional knowledge from watching hundreds of games either live or on television. We gain our expertise per se from announcers, visual observations while most of us have never played above the Little League level. It is almost as if baseball has issued to the fans its own version of freedom of speech, but with the advent of social media now, can it go too far?

In the stands sometimes the collective fans themselves can take action, embarrassing the foolish rants or possibly make sure the “offender” takes a chill pill and remembers a game is in progress and he can be removed if enough fans voice their own raves. It doesn’t happen often that a fan either for the home or visiting team goes beyond that baseline of respect or coarse language, but when they do, most players just let it wash off them like gentle raindrops. Every once in a while you hear someone say something to a play you know hit deeps, crosses that imaginary line and you wish he had done anything to spank the oppressive fool.

Well, recently one Major League player decided someone had gone a bit too far. No, he did not go into the stands like a hockey enforcer or launch a 94 mph rocket to the kisser of the offending ruffian, instead he just cut and pasted the obscure comments and let the word know what he sometimes has to deal with outside of our usual Twitter visual sight-lines.

“ @DAVIDprice14 for all the tweeters 1. I have season tix 2 I like price but inconsistent in big games

price has no closeout pitch”

Sure the comment might have lacked a bit of killer intentions, but sometimes something written gnarls at you and you feel compelled to at least comment or write a rebuttal. Price definitely took the high road and just cut and pasted the comments so we all can see and know the type of absurd and unintelligent rhetoric nonsense these guys get after fighting the good fight during a game, an inning or even a career.

I left off this guys Twitter handle from the posted comment to not advertise his ramblings any further because his baseball and pitching logic definitely ranks below the bottom of the barrel. But there is one comment he made first that got my attention and definitely shows spending a lot of time watching games at Tropicana Field doesn’t make you a baseball guru or Coach.

I am glad this guy has Rays Season Tickets and supports his hometown team, but in that same vein, if he has truly attended multiple seasons of games, he must have slept through many of Price’s great moments on the hill, especially in 2008. Sure I went to the past well there for a reason. The guy stated Price “ had no closeout pitch”. Well, hate to tell you, amassing a 5-2 record in 2012 and a 12-13 last season, Price has got to have a “closeout” something to get those “W’s”.Of course this rant came after Price and the Rays lost a game to the rival New York Yankees and former A L Cy Young winner Sabathia. I understand the frustration of seeing this team lose after posting an impressive recent home stand, but at least know the facts before boasting your “expertise”. Lost somewhere in his multiple baseball brainiac cells is the true stat that this loss by Price to his fellow southpaw Sabathia was his first “L” against this opposing hurler in his career.

Could this commenter have some merit since Price did give up a historic Home Run to Yankee Derek Jeter for his 3,000th career hit in 2011? But doesn’t every pitcher want to be on the hill when a historic moment is approaching for a rival and want to either strike them out, prevent them from reaching that plateau or unfortunately being cast into the annuals of history by missing their mark.

Still, Price has battled 5 prior Cy Young winners in 8 starts during his career before his May 10th loss to Sabathia and had a 5-0 record with a stellar 1.69 ERA. Did one bad start and sub sequential Home Run barrage by Yankee Curtis Granderson make Price a second tier pitcher? I think not.

By the way, a winner wants the ball in his hand during big games, so if this commenter is dipping back into the past as far as 2010 when Price fell twice in opposing duels with ex-Texas Ranger southpaw Cliff Lee, that is digging for dirt in the wrong playground. Price, just like fellow Rays starter James Shields eagerly wants this tough games and moments that either elevate or humbles you. Sure it can boast huge amounts of frustration and wreck confidence, but Price is a man, and has handled himself as one, even with this comment missile to his integrity.

I do not condone someone ranting without purpose or reason, especially when it comes to sports or our hallowed athletes. Have merit and solid facts to back up the claims and I might agree, or agree to disagree on the subject. Either way, attacking or even suggesting something moronic like your second two points in your comment are ridiculous and warrants this wake-up call. I have yelled and posted a few things in my time that I regret, wish I had thought out and either deleted or apologized for.

I do not expect this commenter to do either of those things. He feels he is in the right. Had his ducks perfectly in a row and is firm in his convictions, even tho his logic has more holes than a wheel of Swiss cheese. But in the end Price took the right measure, let the fellow Rays fan baste and boil this fan a bit, and Price just sat back and watched the magic happen. Just goes to show you, sometimes these guys see and hear your absurd comments and rants, and one took it upon himself to hoist you to the wolves. Good for him.

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2 Comments

I am a die hard Rays Fan! Year after year I watch in amazement how a team with an awesome group of players and a wonderful and knowledgable head coach as this team has and I wonder how can all of the not glaringly see the huge problem with the bats. It’s seems as though the Rays have all the ingredients to bring home a World Series trophy to the Tampa Bay area with the exception of their lack of consistency behind the plate. It seem that most, if not all the Rays players consider walking another word for an hit. Walking has it’s place, however, there is something to be said for “a double” or “a triple”. They leave too many men on base more times than not. I watch the teams they play too. What I see from some of them is the way they swing the bat. Other hitters swing on non strike pitches and actually gets them on board and sometimes get base runners home. My point is the Rays bats need to flex. Sometimes a pitch may not be the “one” they’re looking for to crush for a home run. It’s ok the swing and get a hit off a pitch that may not be “the hitters zone”. The optimum word here is ” hit”! Get on base, move the runners, etc. I wonder if the Rays hitting coach might consider broadening the zone for the team. Just because the opposing pitcher may not serve the perfect pitch for you to crush… There are a lot of those pitches that could be hit for good base hits if the Rays will take advantage of them. Other hitters do it all the time. The Rays can too!

Debra,
This team has had a mountain to climb all season long, and so far it has not been in vein. Offense has been down right offensive, but the Sun still rises and falls, so there is hope for improvement on a nightly basis. That said, the Trade Deadline might be the time that this issue finally gets solved, or at least amended to help this team strive towards another possible post-season goal. Second half of the season will have the Rays battling the same teams they need to defeat if they want either of those Wild Cards berths….Going to be fun!

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